VZCZCXRO0357
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHKV #0756/01 0891413
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301413Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1752
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KYIV 000756 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017 
TAGS: PREL KDEM MARR RS AZ GG MD UP
SUBJECT: CREATION OF A GUAM SECRETARIAT CENTRAL TO GUAM'S 
FUTURE REMAINS AN OPEN QUESTION 
 
REF: A. A. KYIV 666 
     ¶B. B. KYIV 131 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4(b,d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  First Deputy Minister of Georgia and GUAM 
National Coordinator Valery Chechelashvili sounded an 
optimistic note during our conversation with him after the 
March 15-16 GUAM Council of National Coordinators (CNC) 
meeting.  Chechelashvili, slated to be GUAM's new Secretary 
General once the organization is formally established, seemed 
pleased with recent progress on GUAM-related issues.  He 
acknowledged that establishing the Secretariat was central to 
breathing life into GUAM as a regional organization.  He 
expected all four member countries to ratify the GUAM Charter 
(Ukraine and Moldova must still do so) prior to the next 
summit, now expected to take place June 26-27 in Baku. 
National Coordinators had finalized the texts of three 
documents that will be signed at the summit: the budget of 
about $500,000 per year, an agreement on Privileges and 
Immunities for Secretariat staff, and an agreement on joint 
cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation security. 
Chechelashvili said the member states were eager to raise 
GUAM's profile and planned to hold future CNC meetings in 
Washington and Brussels, which would be consistent with their 
vision of GUAM as a vehicle to hasten adoption of European 
standards in the region.  GUAM could also help hasten 
resolution of the region's "frozen conflicts."  Chechashvili 
publicly supported creation of GUAM peacekeeping forces.  In 
contrast to Chechelashvili's optimism, Rada Foreign Affairs 
Committee Chairman Socialist Vitaly Shybko told Ambassador 
the prospect for near term passage of the Charter bill is 
uncertain at best.  The same concern was repeated to the 
Ambassador by new Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who 
said that he was worried about ratification of the Charter 
and would have to work on it. 
 
¶2. (U) Comment.  The defection of several opposition Our 
Ukraine and BYuT Rada members to the majority coalition in 
the Ukrainian Parliament (ref A) may ultimately weaken the 
ability of the Communists -- staunch GUAM opponents -- to 
block approval of the Charter.  As political power continues 
to shift to the Party of Regions, the future of the GUAM 
Charter bill in the Rada will increasingly depend on the 
attitude of Yanukovych and his allies, and thus by default 
the future of GUAM.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
¶3. (SBU) At our March 16 discussions, Chechelashvili was 
accompanied by Georgian MFA GUAM Division Director George 
Nikolaishvili, Georgian Embassy Senior Counselor Levan 
Nizharadze, and GUAM Information Office Executive Director 
(Ukrainian) Heorhiy Nazarov.  He reviewed the results of the 
CNC meeting and outlined his plans for energizing GUAM via 
the GUAM Secretariat.  Chechelashvili said he expected to 
take up his duties as GUAM Secretary General after the 
conclusion of the next Summit -- now expected to take place 
on June 26-27 in Baku.  He said agreement has been reached on 
an annual budget of $500,000 per year, which would be 
finalized at the Summit.  Chechelashvili remarked that 
Moldova had approved its budget contribution and that he had 
addressed Moldovan concerns about the cost of posting their 
staff member to Kyiv, although he was a little vague on the 
details.  Chechelashvili said the CNC also reached agreement 
on Privileges and Immunities for Secretariat staff and a 
treaty on cooperation and mutual aid in issues of nuclear and 
radiation safety, both of which would be signed at the Baku 
Summit. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Chechelashvili praised Nazarov's work and seemed 
satisfied with the progress on GUAM issues so far.  He was 
confident the Ukraine and Moldava parliaments would approve 
the GUAM Charter before the Summit and expected to move to 
Kyiv and assume his duties shortly thereafter.  He was eager 
to demonstrate that GUAM operations would adhere to Western 
standards and mentioned that he would put a transparent 
budget process in place.  Nazarov and Chechelashvili did not 
expect the premises for the Secretariat would be ready before 
October but they anticipated little difficulty in finding a 
temporary location while renovations on the permanent site 
were completed. 
 
¶5. (U) Chechelashvili noted that not all GUAM member states 
aspire to join NATO but all hope to harmonize their policies 
with those of the EU; the EU Action plans of all member 
states had similar priorities.  Chechelashvili envisioned 
GUAM as a vehicle to assist in this process.  Chechelashvili, 
who has publicly stated that GUAM will form a peacekeeping 
force, also mentioned using GUAM to address the security 
issues (read 'frozen conflicts,') in the region.  He agreed 
with our suggestion that GUAM should raise its profile with 
the EU and said he had suggested that GUAM hold a 
 
KYIV 00000756  002 OF 002 
 
 
Coordinators meeting in Brussels later this year in addition 
to the planned CNC meeting in Washington in conjunction with 
a round-table at the Center for Strategic and International 
Studies. 
 
¶6. (C) Although Chechelashvili was confidant the Charter 
would be approved before the Summit, Rada (parliament) 
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Vitaliy Shybko was less 
sanguine in a March 26 meeting with Ambassador.  Shybko said 
the Presidential office had not made GUAM charter 
ratification a priority.  The Presidential office and MFA 
needed to launch a publicity campaign to educate the public 
on GUAM,s benefits.  For now, the public and Rada members 
saw GUAM as possibly entangling Ukraine in "frozen 
conflicts."  Many also viewed GUAM as being anti-Russian. 
Shybko opined that GUAM did provide benefits, for example, by 
helping Ukraine to integrate better economically in the Black 
Sea region.  The Presidential office and MFA needed to 
initiate a public discourse to educate the public on this and 
other benefits flowing from GUAM membership to pave the way 
for future Rada ratification of the GUAM charter.  Shybko 
provided no timeframe, however, when such ratification might 
be possible. 
 
¶7.  (C)  During a March 29 meeting, new Foreign Minister 
Arseniy Yatsenyuk made the same point to the Ambassador, 
noting that he was well aware of the GUAM Charter issue and 
was worried about the prospects for its passage in the Rada. 
Yatsenyuk assured the Ambassador that he planned to work on 
the issue. 
 
¶8. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website: 
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. 
Taylor